Obsidian
by Myrmidon77
Summary: Three close friends leave on a quest to obtain an artifact that will help camp halfblood prepare for the battle of Manhattan.


Chapter I

Bailey

It was quite a sight to behold. The entire camp was working together like a well-oiled machine to prepare their defenses against the coming invasion. They had surrounded the breach in the labyrinth with traps, catapults, and as many angry hormonal Ares kids who were all too eager to finally bash some monster brains in as they could find. Bailey gazed across the landscape that she knew as home and wondered if it would still be standing at the end of the day.

"Hey. It'll be ok sis. I promise." Will Solace told her with that strangely soothing voice of his. He was always good at seeing people's emotions. It was occasionally weird, but for the most part comforting.

"I know. I just…" she looked around at the beautiful field that would soon turn into a battlefield. She watched as the different cabins were all doing their jobs; the Hephaestus kids attending the catapults, the Hermes kids finishing their traps, and the Dionysus kids bringing water or juice to those who need it. Although she tried her best to avoid it, her mind drifted back to thoughts of just who she would have to bury when it was all said and done. What friends she'll never see again, and what the last thing she said to them would have been. She was scared, and Will could see it. Not for herself though, but for her friends.

Will snapped his fingers to get her out of her trance. "Hey, less pouting more strap tightening." They were adjusting each other's straps on their armor, making sure each piece fit exactly right. They would need plenty of movement with their positioning. The Athena kids had put them in the tree line as long-range support. It made sense, most Apollo kids were skilled with bows, she however…wasn't that great. Just something about it never clicked in her brain. She tried to suggest that she and Will be placed closer to the lines as medics, but Annabeth wasn't having it. She would have protested but she preferred not to get on Percy's bad side. She looked up at the Athena command tent on the hill. "Come on. Shows about to start." Will said as he clambered up the tree. The guy was an oddly good climber. He stuck his hand out and pulled her up. She adjusted herself in her vantage point and braced so she could fire her bow. Her sword and shield lay just at the base of the tree. They would impede her movement too much if the kept them on her. Will positioned himself just a few limbs above her, arrow already knocked. She could hear him quietly praying to their dad.

Down on the front lines bailey could see Clarisse giving orders, tightening up the formations and such. She looked and sounded like such a natural born leader, or perhaps it was merely the Ares like aura she gave off. If it wasn't for the fact that she was a huge bully, bailey might have actually respected her. Still, she was a great fighter, and Bailey was glad she was on their side.

"Still wish you were down there on the lines?" Will asked from above.

"I'd be more useful no doubt."

Will gave a slight pause before replying. "You're a good shot Bailey. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. We need you here." Will's voice was almost charming enough to make her believe him. Almost. She felt embarrassed. She felt like she could feel the gaze of her brothers and sisters burning into her. She put on her helmet to hide whatever shade of red her face must have been turning. She absent mindedly played with the beads on her bracelet. Four years at camp half-blood each symbolized by a little charm bead. She rubbed her thumb across a small piece of obsidian, her third-year charm. She thought it funny how that little rock could mean so much to her.

Before she could get sucked into the realm of nostalgia, the earth began to rumble beneath them. She quickly braced herself so she wouldn't fall out of the tree.

"Arrows at the ready." Will called out to the Apollo cabin.

Bailey knocked an arrow in her bow and took aim toward the labyrinth entrance. Suddenly the rocky entrance exploded and out poured what seemed like a tidal wave of monsters. In their front ranks was a hoard of giants whose clubs were the size of trees. Down on the lines she could hear Clarisse.

"Lock shields!" The sound of the formation moving in uniform gave Bailey confidence.

"Open fire!" Will ordered the Apollo cabin, and a volley of arrows rained down upon the giants. They looked like a bunch of angry porcupines but other than that they seemed fine. It was the catapults that really did the trick. She saw one giant that was shot straight through the gut and instantly dissolve to dust. Most of them however were able to block the shots with their shields. Although she wasn't exactly sure, they looked to be made from crushed cars.

The hoard let out a horrendous battle cry and charged the demigod defenses. For all their planning and training, the Ares cabin was swept aside with no real difficulty. She knocked another arrow in her bow.

"Hit 'em again!" Will called out. The Apollo archers let loose another volley of arrows that seemed to hit their mark much better than the last. A good chunk of the giants vaporized from the touch of celestial bronze.

"Get some!" She heard one of her brothers yell.

"See sis? I told you it was no problem." Will reassured her.

"Don't get comfortable just yet. Take a look at the breach."

A massive group of dracanea slithered out of the hole in all directions. She saw one Ares kid get caught in one of the snake ladies nets and they began stabbing him with their spears. A few of them got caught in the net traps set by the Hermes kids so Bailey and Will made quick work of the immobilized monsters. Down near the catapults she saw a group of dracanea get incinerated by a vile a Greek fire the Hephaestus cabin set up as a last line of defense for their launchers.

Coming out of the breach Bailey could see what looked to be humans. No, they definitely were human. Right behind them a massive black hellhound leaped out of the breach as well.

"It looks like Luke sent more than just monsters." Will called down to Bailey.

"No, they're still monsters. No better than these slithering freaks." She replied as she shot another dracanea in the face and watched it dissolve.

They kept firing. Volleys of arrows that would disintegrate anything that dared draw near the tree line. Until Bailey saw him. One of the defected demigods getting into position to take aim towards the trees with his bow. The head of his arrow blazing with Greek fire. She took aim but something wouldn't let her release the arrow. 'They are scum. No better than monsters.' She thought. But yet, she couldn't do it.

"That hellhound is going for the satyrs. Should we pursue?" one of Bailey's sisters asked Will. He replied with a hesitant tone.

"No. We have to hold position."

"Yeah. Why are those grass munchers even near the battle anyway?" One of her brothers said. His voice seemingly coming from nowhere in the dense foliage.

The defected demigod took aim and Bailey realized it was now or never. With a heaviness in her heart that she had never quite felt before, she let loose the arrow. It was too late though. A split second before Bailey's shot could hit its mark the nameless demigod released his flaming arrow into the trees. She watched as his body hit the ground. He didn't disappear, there was no dust, just the body of a teenage boy bleeding on the ground. Time seemed to slow, and she felt like she was going to throw up. She had never until this moment shot any mortal being.

The traitor's arrow buried itself in the dense foliage and set ablaze the tree just to the right of Bailey and Will. 'FWOOSH' The leaves seemed to spontaneously combust, and the entire tree was burning. Bailey saw two Apollo kids drop from the tree screaming and burning. The fire quickly began to spread. Bailey and Will dropped from their tree as did the rest of the Apollo cabin. Bailey grabbed her sword and shield from the base of the tree. They quickly rushed to put out the burning campers. Jasper was near the bottom and was able to quickly drop to the dirt and roll until her flames were extinguished.

"DAVID!" Will yelled as he ran to help put out the flames.

Bailey will never forget the screams she heard as David was cooked. He flailed on the ground. Will and Bailey were eventually able to put him out. His breathing was shallow, and his skin was horribly burned. She dropped to her knees and began to sing a healing hymn to their dad. Through her tears she prayed quietly. Will joined in and the other Apollo kids either made a perimeter or fled from the growing wildfire. Eventually David's breathing stopped entirely.

"We need to go. Everyone, fall back to the secondary vantage point up the hill." Will ordered the cabin.

"We need to regrou-." He was cut off as a huge wave came crashing through the trees and swept them away down the hill. Everything went blue and she couldn't breathe. She felt like she had just been tossed into a white-water rapid, or more accurately the rapids had been tossed into her. By the time Bailey realized what had happened they were already down the hill with the rest of the army. She stood, quite dazed from the unwanted waterslide. The good news was that the woods was no longer ablaze. The bad news was her brothers and sisters had just been dumped into a melee combat.

She quickly drew her sword and stabbed a dracanea through the chest.

"Everybody up. We need to move." She yelled. Her waterlogged brothers and sisters stood and drew their bows. They formed a circle and started firing arrows in all directions. Bailey slashed and stabbed through any dracanae that got too close.

"What now?" She asked Will.

"I don't know." He replied as he released a perfectly placed arrow into a dracanea heart. His quiver was nearly empty. As was the same with almost all her brothers and sisters. She wouldn't let this be the end.

Before she could formulate a plan, another rogue demigod came charging toward her with his sword drawn. He gave out a battle cry as he rushed towards her. She didn't know how to react. Time seemed to slow again as she held up her shield ready to brace for the coming attack. She didn't know if she could kill another human again, but she couldn't let her family down. The demigod brought his sword down on her with enough force to almost knock the shield out of her hands. The blow was blocked though. As Bailey said a quick prayer to her father, her shield began to glow. A little gift from dear old dad. It let out a brilliant flash that blinded the traitor demigod. She swiped with her sword but used the flat of her blade. The ex-camper only replied with fury as he grabbed the shield and jerked it away. 'This is it she thought. Either kill or be killed.' But as it turned out, it wasn't her choice to make. A celestial bronze arrow pierced through the traitor's heart and he fell to the ground. Bailey turned to see who fired. It was Jasper. She already had another arrow knocked and was aiming at the attacker. She had a nasty burn on her cheek that was definitely goingto leave a scar.

"That was for David." She said solemnly. She gave Bailey a quick nod and went back to shooting dracanea.

Then an awful shriek seemed to echo across the battlefield, and suddenly out of the breach erupted a dark figure with bat-like wings.

"What is that?" Someone asked.

"Nothing good." Will replied.

The creature flew over them towards the Athena command tent and Bailey got a better look at it. It had snakes all around its legs, and what looked like animal heads that bubbled around a waist that led to a female humanoid upper body. Many of the campers, and even some of the invaders seemed to hesitate with fear.

"I think this is our chance." Bailey announced.

"Let's go. Regroup at the top of the hill." Will ordered.

The Apollo cabin quickly picked up and moved back up the hill. She saw the creature land on the Athena command tent and flatten it like a pancake. Chiron was unloading arrows into her. Percy and Annabeth were charging up the hill to assist. Before they arrived at the top of the hillhowever, Bailey felt a hand grab her shoulder and spin her around.

"Come on. We gotta go."

"What are you guys doing here?"


End file.
